Former Norwich patrolman to be tried on sexual assault charges

Jury selection will begin Tuesday in New London Superior Court in the case of former Norwich patrolman Kenneth Nieves, who is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl while on duty.

Nieves, 45, has pleaded not guilty and opted for a trial. In August, he rejected an offer from prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman to plead guilty in exchange for a one-year-prison sentence, 10 years of probation and registration as a sexual offender.

The trial will take place before Judge Arthur C. Hadden.

Nieves, who joined the police department in 2002, resigned in September 2011 after he was placed on administrative leave while police investigated allegations that he was having sex with girls and women while on duty. He was arrested in December after a woman came forward with specific information about the charges.

He is free on $50,000 bond and has appeared in court about a dozen times since he was charged in December 2011 with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor. Nieves is represented by attorney Charles E. Tiernan III.

According to state police, Nieves began a four-year sexual relationship with a 14-year-old in 2003-04. The alleged victim, now 22, told state police he would come to her workplace while on duty and in uniform and have sex with her before driving her home in his cruiser.